SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Southern Conference named its football players of the week today for the games played Saturday, October 29. Wofford's Eric Breitenstein was named Offensive Player of the Week while Furman's Mitch McGrath earned Defensive Player of the Week honors. Appalachian State's Ronald Blair was selected as the Freshman of the Week, and Samford's Fabian Truss was tabbed as the Special Teams Player of the Week. The players of the week are selected by the league office.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Eric Breitenstein, Wofford, Jr., RB, Valle Crucis, N.C.
Eric Breitenstein rushed for 217 yards on 28 carries as Wofford defeated Elon, 48-28 Saturday.  The junior fullback averaged 7.8 yards per carry and scored four touchdowns in the win.  Breitenstein's 217 yards was the highest single-game rushing total in the Southern Conference this season.  It was the third career 200-yard performance for the Valle Crucis, N.C., native.  Breitenstein has rushed for at least 100 yards in seven of Wofford's eight games this year and ranks fifth nationally with 128 rushing yards per game.

Other Nominees: Brian Quick (Appalachian State), Rickey Anderson (The Citadel), Thomas Wilson (Elon), Fabian Truss (Samford), Terrell Robinson (Chattanooga) and Gary Green (Western Carolina).

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Mitch McGrath, Furman, Jr., LB, Longwood, Fla.
Mitch McGrath anchored a Furman defense that limited Chattanooga to just 169 yards of total offense in a 14-7 win.  McGrath recorded seven solo tackles and was credited with nine total stops.  The junior tallied four sacks for minus 32 yards which was the highest single-game sack count since Will Bouton recorded four in 2001 against Lehigh.  McGrath picked off a pass in the third quarter and returned it 40 yards.  With Furman holding a 14-7 edge late in the fourth quarter McGrath recovered a fumble with 1:52 remaining to preserve the Paladins' lead.

Other Nominees: Jeremy Kimbrough (Appalachian State), Carson Smith (The Citadel), Joshua Jones (Elon), Brent Russell (Georgia Southern), Alvin Hines (Samford), Ryan Consiglio (Chattanooga), Brandon Vaught (Western Carolina) and Mike Niam (Wofford).

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Ronald Blair, Appalachian State, Fr., DE, Greensboro, Ga.
Ronald Blair anchored Appalachian State's defensive line Saturday as the Mountaineers knocked off Georgia Southern, 24-17.  Blair recorded eight tackles, including two for loss.  The Greensboro, N.C., native was credited with a sack in the win as ASU limited Georgia Southern to just 201 yards of total offense, 286 yards below its average through the first seven weeks.  Blair and the Mountaineers yielded just 10 points on defense in the win. 

Other Nominees: Odell Benton (Elon), Stanley Robinson (Samford), Davis Tull (Chattanooga), Garrett Brown (Western Carolina) and Qay Bell (Wofford).

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Fabian Truss, Samford, So., RB/KR, Birmingham, Ala.
Fabian Truss' kickoff return helped ignite the Samford Bulldogs en route to a 52-24 win over Western Carolina Saturday afternoon.  After the Catamounts had scored to cut the Samford lead to 21-17, Truss returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown as the Bulldogs scored 24 unanswered points. It was the first time a Samford player returned a kickoff for a touchdown since 2007.